Shin Contra Original Soundtrack

The guitar and electronica-laden, relentless hellfest that is Shin Contra is a fiery concoction of volatile tracks sure to wake you out of that catatonic state and get your blood pumping during those droll morning commutes. It's also a great way to experience never-ending schadenfreude as you watch parochial classicalists, country-ists, and other genre-ists spasm uncontrollably when subjected to the highly audible levels at which you'll be playing this CD. In mere seconds after hearing the opening movie track from the game I told myself "You're buying this soundtrack. Right now." And so I did. And I find it impossible to sweat even one drop of disappointment with this CD. It's a prime example of how game music SHOULD be: replete with memorable tracks that one doesn't hear, but feels and experiences. If you aren't rocking out by the time this CD is over, then you must be deaf.

Shin Contra achieves musically the Contra spirit probably as good as it's possible. Akira Yamaoka and Sota Fujimori have created music just like the game, fast and hard with heavy guitars growling and energetic techno pounding. There are quite many techno-style tracks, but they're just as good as the heavy tracks. Some tracks I especially like are the addictive BATTLE TRAIN, which is otherwise excellent but could have been a little longer. Another one I like is A TRUE LAST BOSS, which has horn like sounds that make the track somehow frightening and make it really sound like it's the last boss you're fighting. SKY TO THE OCEAN and DEAREST are probably my favourites of the heavy guitar tracks. There are only two or three tracks I don't like that much, but overall the album is very good with nice variation.

As far as game soundtracks go, Shin Contra is one of the more outstanding entries. An equal mix of hard rock and thumping electronica, the team-up effort between Yamaoka and Fujimori is a listening experience that won't soon be forgotten. Fans of either composer are in for a treat, though listeners looking for Yamaoka's quieter ambient stylings may be a little put off by this high energy outing. An extremely minor gripe is in the track order, which doesn't follow the game's progression... but a little variety never killed anyone.